Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a torque limiting device for a fishing reel, particularly to a torque limiting device for a fishing reel, which is configured to limit torque to be transmitted to a level winding mechanism for reciprocating a fishing line guide member along a rotational shaft of a spool in conjunction with rotation of the spool.
Background Information
Some conventional fishing reels are equipped with a torque limiting device such as a torque limiter (see Japan Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. 2013-070652). The torque limiter includes a pair of pin members, an urging member and engaging recesses. The pair of pin members is disposed in a through hole bored in a handle shaft (a shaft member). The urging member (e.g., a coil spring) is disposed in the through hole bored in the handle shaft. For example, the pair of pin members and the urging member are disposed in the through hole so as to be linearly aligned in the extending direction of the through hole. The urging member urges the pair of pin members toward a first gear mounted to the handle shaft. The engaging recesses are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the first gear. The pin members urged by the urging member are engaged with the engaging recesses. The first gear is herein a gear for transmitting the torque of the handle shaft to a level winding mechanism.
In winding the fishing line about the spool in the fishing reel, the level winding mechanism is actuated when a handle is rotated with the pin members being engaged with the first gear (the engaging recesses). When the torque of the handle shaft herein reaches a predetermined magnitude, the pair of pin members is moved in approaching directions. In other words, the pair of pin members and the first gear (the engaging recesses) are disengaged from each other. Thus, even when the handle shaft is rotated, the torque of the handle shaft is not transmitted to the first gear. In other words, the torque of the handle shaft is not transmitted to the level winding mechanism.
On the other hand, in releasing the fishing line from the spool (e.g. casting), a clutch is set in a clutch-off state. Hence, the handle shaft is not rotated and the spool is rotated in a fishing-line releasing (casting) direction. At this time, the handle shaft is not rotated, and the torque is not transmitted from the handle shaft to the level winding mechanism. In other words, the level winding mechanism is not actuated in releasing the fishing line from the spool.
Thus, in the aforementioned fishing reel, the level winding mechanism is actuated in conjunction with the rotation of the handle shaft. Additionally, the torque limiter is actuated when the torque of the handle shaft reaches the predetermined magnitude. In other words, in the aforementioned fishing reel, the torque limiter is actuated between the handle shaft and the level winding mechanism of a handle synchronous type.
The aforementioned fishing reel includes the handle synchronous type level winding mechanism. By contrast, some fishing reels employ a level winding mechanism of a spool synchronous type. In winding the fishing line about the spool in this type of fishing reels, the rotation of the handle shaft is transmitted to the spool shaft (the shaft member). Accordingly, the spool shaft is rotated, and the level winding mechanism is actuated. On the other hand, in casting the fishing line in these types of fishing reels, when the clutch is set in the clutch-off state, the handle shaft is not rotated and the spool is rotated in the fishing-line casting direction. Then, the level winding mechanism is actuated in conjunction with the rotation of the spool (the spool shaft). Such a level winding mechanism thus configured to be actuated is of the spool synchronous type.
Installation of the torque limiter has been tried so far for fishing reels equipped with the spool synchronous type level winding mechanism. However, in trying to install the conventional torque limiter into this type of fishing reels, the torque limiter is required to be mounted to either the spool shaft or a traverse cam shaft of the level winding mechanism. The shaft diameter of the spool shaft and that of the traverse cam shaft are herein smaller than that of the handle shaft. Hence, this has posed a drawback of difficulty in mounting the well-known torque limiter (the through hole, the pin members and the urging member) to the spool shaft.
Moreover, even if the conventional torque limiter (the through hole, the pin members and the urging member) can be mounted to the spool shaft or the traverse cam shaft, the engaging recesses and the urging member cannot be formed with sufficient sizes. Thus, the magnitude of limitable torque is not sufficient, and there has been a possibility that the torque limiter is inevitably actuated when the spool is rotated in the fishing-line releasing direction, for instance, in casting.